WOMEN'S LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
Vermont (1-1, 1-0 AE) will host twin state rival New Hampshire (1-2, 0-1 AE) in America East action on Saturday afternoon (March 13) at Virtue Field. The opening draw is set for 3 p.m. Fans can watch the game on ESPN3 by authenticating through their cable provider.
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HIGH SCHOOL REUNION
Sophomore
Sophia Burke will face her former high school teammate and current UNH junior Grace Purdy. The pair played at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, New York. Burke registered 173 career points on 90 goals and 83 assists, including a breakout senior year with 31 goals and 25 assists. The tandem served as co-captains in 2018 and led the Blue Streak to a New York State Section II Championship.
SOPHOMORE STANDOUTS
UVM's offensive leaders through two games are sophomores
McKenzie Ballard and
Ava Vasile. Ballard leads the way with eight points on six goals and two assists. She netted four goals in the season opener at Hartford, then added two more in Sunday's contest against Boston U. Vasile is right behind her classmate with seven points, all from finding the back of the net. The Milford, Massachusetts product also had a big game at Hartford with a career-high five goals.
TWO OF THE PRESEASON BEST
Saturday will feature two of the top five teams in this year's America East preseason rankings. UNH was ranked third place with 34 points while UVM trailed in fifth place with 26 points.
SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Wildcats bring a 1-2 record to Burlington this weekend. UNH opened the season with a 20-9 rout against Merrimack on February, but has dropped its last two outings at UConn (L, 19-3) two days later and a 13-12 overtime setback at UAlbany last Saturday. Julia Neyland has produced two five-point performances this year. She recorded a hat trick and dished out two assists against the Warriors, then netted four goals and was credited with an assist in the tough loss to the Great Danes. Liv Dunn and Rylee Leonard have each added eight points to the attack. Dunn has matched Neyland with a team-best seven goals while Leonard is the top distributor with six assists. Goalie Issy Torres has served all 183 minutes guarding the pipes and has logged a 13.48 goals-against average.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The twin state rivalry is the longest standing rivalry in school history. The programs have met on an annual basis since 1983. The Catamounts will try to snap a four-game skid against the Wildcats. UVM has beat UNH eight times and the two squads have split the last six meetings in Burlington. The series has seen some competitive matches of late as three out of the last six contests have been decided by three goals or less.
